Claudia Gutierrez has worked with a wide variety of businesses since she joined the Western Women’s Business Center in August 2024, assisting  through one-on-one business coaching, workshops, and access to capital.

“We help clients by providing technical assistance, which includes access to capital and foundational business knowledge,” Gutierrez said. “We also offer webinars, trainings, and host events to support and strengthen entrepreneurship within the community.”

The Western Women’s Business Center is a program of the Carolina Small Business Development Fund, which is a statewide nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution. The local WWBC is one of six Women’s Business Centers in the state, and there are around 150 across the country.

“Our mission is to foster economic development,” Gutierrez said. “We work with entrepreneurs every day, whether they’re starting a new business, exploring a business idea, or growing an existing business. We provide capital, technical assistance, and policy research to help light the way for small businesses.”

To help local businesses get a start in the new year, Gutierrez has offered several tips for people. 

1. Plan for Resilience

“Have some sort of disaster plan,” Gutierrez said. “We experienced Hurricane Helene last year, and it really highlighted the importance of being prepared. I’ve read countless articles and spoken with many businesses, and one thing is clear: over the next five years, we’re moving into an increasingly AI-driven world. What many people don’t consider is the possibility of the internet going down. Most of our operations are electronic, and many of our systems rely entirely on being online. But what happens if there’s a blackout? How would your business function? How would you operate? For disaster-resilient operations, it’s essential to ensure your supply chain isn’t disrupted, and that partnerships are coordinated. After Helene, we saw many partners come together to help each other out, and that kind of collaboration is key. Planning for disasters isn’t optional, it’s something every business needs to do going forward. If there’s a major power outage and everything you do is online, how will you make money that day?”

2. Learn how AI can help you

“AI is rapidly advancing, and business owners should stay up to date with the most efficient systems available. Learning how to use AI effectively can help free up time from administrative tasks and streamline other aspects of your work,” Gutierrez said. “From my experience, many business owners aren’t fully utilizing AI yet, or may not realize how it can make their operations more efficient. There are plenty of coaching opportunities and community resources to help integrate AI into businesses. Because it’s so new, it’s similar to the early days of social media—initially slow to catch on, but then it experienced a huge leap. That’s what we can expect with AI: it’s still emerging, not widely adopted yet, but over the next five years, the pace of development and impact is going to be tremendous.”

3. Utilize cross-sector partnerships

“Utilizing cross-sector partnerships and building diverse networks across the region and industries is highly beneficial, ” Gutierrez said.

4. Put story-telling in the forefront

“I've gone to a lot of webinars, and I've seen a lot of events where we have  partner organizations that say we need more storytelling in terms of marketing,” Gutierrez said. “That's a priority for organizations or businesses or business leaders to show it to people that way. Storytelling can help lead to more funders or new clients or new sales. You’re now tapping into different markets just by having a really good community-centered storytelling and marketing approach. This is specific through social media or through your own website, if possible, but always be telling a story. Try humanizing the project that you put on, in terms of whether it's a business or a nonprofit organization, just to give a human aspect to it.

5. Secure Funding Early

“Look into small business loans, grants, or investors, and plan your budget carefully. Make sure to set aside some reserve cash for emergencies or unexpected shutdowns; it can be a lifesaver when things don’t go as planned, ” Gutierrez said. “Having this safety net will make it easier to handle challenges and keep your business running smoothly as you grow.”

For more information on Western Women’s Business Center, check out its website, https://www.wwbcnc.org.